Redding

In 1906, Samuel Clemens bought land in the vicinity of the town Redding in Connecticut. The purchase was made without Clemens having seen the property beforehand as he was eager to strike an apparent bargain (see Rasmussen et al. 2:852). Albert Bigelow Paine, a close friend of Clemens’, had previously bought land in the same area and this quickly convinced Clemens to invest as well (see Paine Biography 3:1294).

Clemens arranged for John Mead Howells to design a house to be built on the property (see Paine Biography 3:1446). This would eventually become Clemens’ permanent home, which he called “Stormfield” (see Rasmussen et al. 2:852), named after his character Captain Stormfield.
The Redding community welcomed the famous author: when he arrived in 1908 to settle in his new home, a crowd of people greeted him at the train station and accompanied him on his way to Stormfield. Once he was fully settled in his new home, Clemens got involved in local affairs and sought out the Redding community (see Rasmussen et al. 2:852). One community project he was especially supportive of was the “Mark Twain Library of Redding” to which he contributed books and for which he raised funds (see Rasmussen et al. 2:852).

Clemens lived in Redding until his death in 1910.

There is one subtopic.

See a list of Article Pages which are connected to each subtopic by navigating to the specific Topic Page.

Stormfield

“Stormfield” was Samuel Clemens’ last permanent home and located just outside the town of Redding in Connecticut. The house was designed by John Mead Howells; Clara Langdon Clemens and Isabel Lyon, Clemens secretary at that point in time, oversaw the interior furnishing and decorating (see Rasmussen et al. 2:903). Clemens himself did not want to see the house until it was complete and ready for him to move in. According to A. B. Paine, Clemens said: “I don’t want to see it […] until the cat is purring on the hearth” (Biography 3:1446).

The design Howells settled on was an Italian style villa overlooking the surrounding area. The two-story house had eighteen rooms, water supplied by a natural spring on the property, electric lights, and a steam generator for heat (see Rasmussen et al. 2:902-903).

Initially, Stormfield was intended only as a summer home and [...]

continue reading

Article Pages

linked to Redding (26)

• IA-036 • Mark Twain, der bekannte Schriftsteller, gestorben • 26 Apr 1910
• MD-336 • Mark Twain's Tochter heirathet • 7 Oct 1909
• MD-337 • Todt in Badewanne • 25 Dec 1909
• MD-338 • Mark Twain krank • 15 Apr 1910
• MD-339 • Mark Twain todt • 22 Apr 1910
• MD-340 • Mark Twain's Tod [continuation of MD-339] • 22 Apr 1910
• MD-341 • Mark Twain’s Tod • 23 Apr 1910
• MD-347 • Mark Twain's Testament • 5 May 1910
• MD-354 • Eine Enkelin Mark Twain's geboren • 20 Aug 1910
• MD-356 • Clemens als reicher Mann gestorben • 28 Oct 1910
• MD-359 • Ereignisse von allgemeinem Interesse in 1910 • 05 Jan 1911
• ND-001 • Mark Twain genarrt • 21 Jan 1909
• ND-002 • [Death of Jean Clemens] • 6 Jan 1910
• ND-003 • “Mark Twain” gestorben • 28 Apr 1910
• OH-046 • Mark Twain’s Befinden • 16 Apr 1910
• OH-049 • [Death of MT] • 28 Apr 1910
• SD-024 • Mark Twain 73 Jahre alt • 3 Dec 1908
• TX-068 • [Death of Jean Clemens] • 27 Dec 1909
• TX-069 • Mark Twain • 22 Apr 1910
• TX-071 • [MT’s books given to Mark Twain Library] • 14 Jul 1910
• WI-022 • Heirath in Künstlerkreisen • 8 Oct 1909
• WI-023 • Heirath in Künstlerkreisen • 10 Oct 1909
• WI-028 • Mark Twains Befinden • 21 Apr 1910
• WI-029 • Mark Twains” Befinden bedenklich • 22 Apr 1910
• WI-030 • Mark Twains” Befinden bedenklich • 24 Apr 1910
• WI-031 • †Mark Twain.† • 1 May 1910